Rosin the Bow with Joe McHugh

Bruce Harvie is a tonewood dealer who lives in the San Juan Islands of Puget Sound. Here he shares his passion and vast knowledge of tonewood for violins and other musical instruments.

Greg and Jere Canote are identical twins who play old-time fiddle, guitar, and banjo. Renowned for their musical stylings as well as their zany sense of humor and good-natured stage-presence, the Canote Brothers have toured the world sharing their infectious love of music. In this episode they talk about the challenges of being raised by their deaf mother, the creative beginnings of The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and the curious nature of playing music with your identical twin.

This is the second part of my interview with violin collector David Fulton. Here David shares an entertaining mix of stories related to some of the most treasured violins and cellos in his collection.

David Fulton is one of the most important violin collectors in the world today. Here David shares his life story and the passion that drove him to seek out and preserve instruments made by such masters as Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu.

Few violinists in modern times have made as much of a mark on the music world as Darol Anger. A founding member of the Turtle Island Quartet, he now teaches at the Berklee School of Music in Boston. I caught up with Darol at the Wintergrass Bluegrass Festival in Bellevue, Washington, and here he talks about the physical challenges of playing the violin and some of the exceptional violins he has had the opportunity to tuck up under his chin. 

William Monical is a highly regarded restorer of bowed stringed instruments. He also possesses a wealth of knowledge concerning the evolution of the modern violin. Here he recounts that history with the flair and wit of a gifted storyteller.

With three Grammys, seven CMA awards, and numerous national fiddle, guitar, and mandolin champion titles to his name, Mark pays tribute to his mother and her dedication to his musical gifts and his well-being as a person. He also speaks passionately about his method for teaching young people the violin.

While performing at the Wintergrass Music Festival in Bellevue, Washington, Mark O’Connor takes time to revisit the memories of his childhood growing up in Seattle and those who taught him the language of music, such as the legendary Texas-style fiddler, Benny Thomasson.

Dr. Paolo Bodini is a physician. politician, and president of the Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy, a city that is famous for having been the home of master violin makers Andrea Amati, Antonio Stradivari, and Guiseppe Guaneri. We visited Cremona in 2015 and sat down with Paolo to learn what inspired him to lead an effort to create a museum for the violin in Cremona and what we can learn about history, technology, and the love of these remarkable instruments and the people who make them.

Ms. Pine begins this part of the interview with the story of an unusual experience she had once while playing a very special violin. She also discusses her desire to bring the work of composers of African heritage into the mainstream of classical music.